This project is concerned with the molecular mechanisms that regulate lipid synthesis and degradation in bacterial. The general approach is to isolate mutants of Eschuechia coli defective in lipid synthesis or degradation. These mutants are then studied by a combination of biochemical, genetic, physiological, and biophysical methods. Since regulation of lipid metabolism bears directly on membrane composition and function, knowledge of these mechanisms is needed for an understanding of the etiology of defective cellular membranes observed in many diseases.